The True, the Good, and the Useful

A story is told about the time someone approached Greek philosopher, Socrates, to tell him something about his friend. Before letting the person proceed, Socrates decided to ask three questions.

The first was, “Is it true? Are you absolutely sure it’s true?” The individual wanting to share the information wasn’t certain it was true, but presumed it was. Socrates’s second question was, “Is what you’re going to tell me good?” He elaborated, “If not, are you wanting to tell me something that isn’t good, and you’re not certain it’s true?”

Socrates proceeded with the third question. “Even if you don’t know whether what you’re about to say is true, and it’s not good, can you tell me this: Is it useful? Because if what you’re intending to say isn’t good, might not be true, and is not useful, then why say it at all?”

Jay Shetty, described as a motivational and lifestyle blogger, and a former monk, told this story in one of his video posts. He closed with this observation: “Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, and small minds discuss people.”

It would be good to start learning 
early in life to speak only what is 
true, good and helpful.

Does this describe anyone you know? We hear an incredible lot of talk about people – famous, not so famous, and infamous – but how often do the speakers (including ourselves) pause first to ask if what we’re about to say is true, good, or useful?

Apparently, this is hardly a new phenomenon. It dates to the beginning of time, probably. In fact, we have proof. After Adam and Eve defied God by eating from the one tree He had declared off limits for them, Adam not only invented the fine art of passing the buck, but also failed miserably in the true, good, and useful test.

When the Lord (fully knowing the answer) asked, “Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you to eat from?” redhanded Adam immediately replied, “The woman you put here with me – she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it” (Genesis 3:11-12). Way to go, Adam! If you’re going to sin, might as well do it big time, right? He even indirectly blamed God for his wrongdoing.

It’s clear that harmful speech has been a perpetual problem afflicting humankind. The book of Proverbs is filled with admonitions against misusing the tongue and its power. For instance, “Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips” (Proverbs 4:24). It also offers this contrast: “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing” (Proverbs 12:18).

In all, I counted more than 50 verses in Proverbs that address speech in its uses, misuses and abuses. But in case we overlooked that book, God included exhortations in other parts of the Bible. The apostle James wrote about the dilemma of trying to tame the tongue, noting it “is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body” (James 3:6). Later he concluded, “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be” (James 3:9-10).

Getting back to Socrates’s true, good, and useful criteria for talking about others, the same standard is presented in Ephesians 4:29, which says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

I don’t know about you, but the next time I start to say something about someone else – a family member, friend, acquaintance, celebrity or politician – I’m going to do my best to first ask, “Is it true? Is it good? Is it useful?”

It’s Still Garbage In, Garbage Out

In the early days of computers, when we were just getting used to having them around, there was a common saying: “Garbage in, garbage out.” This meant if programming was faulty, computers would not perform as desired. They either would malfunction or not operate at all. Today almost everyone has a computer and non-techies like me don’t worry much about programming. But the adage is still true.

If you install flawed software on your computer, or the existing software becomes corrupted (perhaps by bad company?), you’re going to become very distressed. Computers are supposed to do what we want them to do; when they don’t, we’re tempted to express some words that aren’t suitable around children or at formal social gatherings.

Speaking of which, I’ve heard the recently released Martin Scorsese film, “The Wolf of Wall Street,” is being called the “swearingest film” of all time, employing the f-word more than 500 times. (Who was responsible for the official count, I don’t know, but that’s not a job I’d want.) Based on the length of the film, the word was used, on average, about every 20 seconds!

I haven’t seen the film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, and won’t. Why pay good money to be bombarded by dialogue that sounds like someone gargled with dirty toilet water? My mind is exposed to enough garbage during the course of an ordinary day. I don’t need to go to a theater and buy some more.

Hollywood seems so very fond of the so-called “f-bomb.” In some quarters the film aristocracy apparently regard it as sophisticated, cool, or something like that. I think it’s simply an excuse for lazy, unimaginative script writing and cesspool thinking that masquerades as “creativity.” It also shows a lack of respect for many members of the viewing public.

There might be occasions when using profanity can be justified. But when usage of a word that’s unacceptable in most public settings is spewed excessively, at machine-gun pace, how can that be excused? Maybe that’s how those directors and actors speak in private as well, so for them it seems normal. In that case, I won’t be inviting them over for dinner.

Based on how you're programming
your mind, what are the words most
 likely to come out of your mouth?

As Proverbs 4:24 wisely advises, “Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.” Ephesians 4:29 adds, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

Granted, in moments of anger or frustration a profane word might slip out, but when such words become as common as periods at the end of sentences, something’s awry. It’s to no one’s benefit.

But the larger issue – that of garbage in, garbage out – goes far beyond motion picture dialogue. We need to be careful of how we “program” our minds in every way. Romans 12:2 admonishes, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind….” Each day our minds are renewed, influenced and shaped by what we allow into them.

I frequent some social media sites, but have noticed the gossip and negativity that make up much of the content we read can undermine our thought patterns. Some people apparently ascribe to the motto, “If you can't think of something bad to say, don’t say anything at all.” So I try to avoid “friends” like that.

Years ago I was an avid reader of horror novels and stories about the occult. I enjoyed a good scare. But after my pastor gave a sermon about the occult, I asked his opinion of my reading preference. He didn’t respond with judgment, but simply replied, “Well, when you read those books, are they pointing you to God – or away from Him.”

Thinking about what he said, I realized that whenever I was reading books like that my tension level would increase, interactions with other people became harsh, and the pervasive language that typified such novels certainly wasn’t helping my own speech to be “edifying,” as the Bible describes it. They definitely weren’t pointing me toward God.

I often wonder about the extreme violence depicted in many video games today, all in the name of “entertainment.” If it’s entertaining to immerse yourself in a virtual experience in which people are killed, blown up and maimed, is it any surprise that at least some of the perpetrators of mass violence have histories of having been engrossed in such “games”?

The human mind has often been described as the most complex, sophisticated and wondrous computer ever observed. But as with electronic computers, programming makes all the difference in how our cerebral computers operate: How we think, the way we act, and what we say.

How are you programming your mind today?